The Rose Greets Anaheim Black Roses with a Night of Healing Through Music
Following their return from a three-year hiatus, The Rose released the group’s first full-length album HEAL and embarked on the Heal Together world tour, carrying the same sentiments from the album of bringing healing through music. On November 16, the quartet consisting of main vocalist Woosung, bassist Jaehyeong, keyboardist Dojoon, and drummer Hajoon came to Anaheim for the first time and performed for Black Roses who packed the House of Blues venue located in the Anaheim GardenWalk. The overwhelming line of fans waiting to get into the venue started all the way from the entrance of the concert venue and continued down in what seemed like a never-ending path. As the lights dimmed, screams from the crowd arose as The Rose entered the stage adorned in big props resembling stems of black roses, inspired by the band’s fandom name. In just two short but sweet hours, The Rose proved just exactly how powerful music is as a source of healing and how it transcends language barriers to unite people.
Setlist:
“~”
“Definition of ugly is”
“Insomnia”
“She’s In The Rain”
“Modern Life”
“California”
“I Don’t Know You”
“Candy (so good)”
“RED”
“See-Saw”
“Childhood”
“I.L.Y.”
“Shift “
“Time”
“Yes (ft. James Reid)”
“hold on tight” (special performance by James Reid and Woosung)
“Sorry”
“Beauty and the Beast”
“Cure”
“Sour”
“Black Rose”
Like the true meaning of the group’s name, the setlist consisted of songs that are beautiful yet with lyrics that cut deep emotionally, partly thanks to the quartet’s soulful and sincere vocal delivery. Essentially, The Rose represents music that coexists with the beauty of flowers and the sharpness of thorns. They opened with the first track on HEAL, “~,” an ambient instrumental track featuring water sounds that makes one feel like they are surrounded by nature. Woosung’s hauntingly stunning isolated vocals began the track “Definition of ugly is” that followed. The emotionally charged stage was accompanied by a powerful instrumental outro that saw all four members strumming their instruments and hitting the drums as hard as they could with stage lights flickering along. Barely into the concert and past the opening set, I felt multiple waves of chills which affirmed my opinion that one must experience The Rose in concert. “Insomnia” and “She’s In The Rain” from their 2018 EP Dawn were performed next to the enthusiasm of the crowd, who recognized the songs right away and sang along with the band. Black Roses were also delighted to hear leader Woosung perform a track from his solo EP MOTH titled “Modern Life” that was released earlier this year.
Euphoric and effervescent, one of the most meaningful stages of the night was “California,” performed right in the state it is named after. “We were waiting for this moment, to sing ‘California’ in California,” said member Dojoon during the song’s intro. Woosung also changed the lyrics in one of the choruses to personally dedicate the performance to this specific concert date: “To Anaheim / Our worries make no sense / Colors are sky blue / Singing in my view / Young and wild.” The concert continued with the trio tracks of “I Don’t Know You,” “Candy (so good),” and “RED.”
Taking a break from up-tempo songs, The Rose slowed things down with two emotional songs from HEAL, “See-Saw” and “Childhood.” The track “See-Saw” was written by Jaehyeong during his compulsory military service. He explained to the crowd that although he was having a hard time during that period, he hoped by sharing his works that someone is healed through his music. Before the song, an excerpt from the group’s documentary The HEAL Project played on the LED screen showing the members discussing their creative process behind the personal body of work.
“Childhood” was another heartwarming stage that saw all four members approaching the front of the stage to perform and get intimate with the crowd. Drummer Hajoon took a break from the drums to move to the keyboard while Jaehyeong switched to his acoustic guitar. The cry-fest didn’t stop there as “I.L.Y” brought tears to some fans in the pit with its touching lyrics and the quartet’s beautiful harmony: “When I'm with you / I pointlessly feel at ease / I love you / Our love is true.”
Showcasing more songs from HEAL, The Rose presented “Shift,” “Time,” and “Yes” back-to-back on the setlist. The message “Time will heal us” from “Time” resonated with many, including the members themselves as they reflected on their poignant journey as a group and how they overcame hardships along the way. “Yes” was a collaboration song with Filipino-Australian singer James Reid, who surprised the audience by making a special appearance during the performance. The crowd roared with excitement of seeing the first live performance of the song that included the special guest feature. With the encouragement of the members, the crowd screamed, “Say yes!,” in different sections of the venue as instructed. The call-and-response moment created a heartfelt rapport between the band and their fans. The Rose took a pause to acknowledge James as their first-ever feature collaboration. As a treat for Anaheim, James Reid also performed his song “hold on tight” that features Woosung. With snappy bass chords echoing the venue, the audience danced along with the singer and band members and kept the energy high as ever although the concert was approaching its end.
Going back to their roots, The Rose performed their debut track “Sorry,” and Black Roses did not disappoint with their ability to sing along from the first note. As someone who has been there since the debut of the group and expressed my adoration for the song countless times, the performance tugged at my heartstrings, as did many other songs played throughout the night. The band ended the night with “Beauty and the Beast,” “Cure,” and “Sour.” Teasing into the performance of “Sour,” which also served as the title track on HEAL, Woosung represented the group to give their final ment: “We rose you so, so much. The Rose’s heart is sour without you.” As the audiences’ hands waved side to side in the warm laser lights reminiscent of rays of sunlight, the venue truly transformed into an audiovisual space of healing and pure joy. For their encore, The Rose serenaded fans with a song dedicated to them called “Black Rose.” Taking polaroid cameras and different banners (including a pride flag and California flag) from fans, The Rose took their final moments to warmly greet Anaheim Black Roses who gave their best, loudest energy and support for the band throughout the night. At the end, the members threw roses into the audience (to which I was also lucky enough to catch one!) and took their final bows.
The Anaheim stop of The Rose’s Heal Together world tour was the second-to-last stop of the band’s North American leg. The band will be performing in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium on November 20 to wrap up the 15 shows performed in the United States.
The Kraze thanks Transparent Arts for the opportunity to cover the show.